Rituximab can be an effective treatment for some forms of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Rituximab is now\u00a0available as a \u2018biosimilar,\u2019 a highly similar copy of the originally approved biologic drug (the \u2018originator\u2019). Most\u00a0Canadian provinces and insurance companies will now only pay for rituximab biosimilars, because they cost 30%\u00a0less than the originator. While we know biosimilars are safe and effective from studies in other diseases, there are\u00a0very few data on biosimilar rituximab in AAV.<\/p>\n
In 2021, a group of Canadian vasculitis researchers started the BRAVO study (Biosimilar Rituximab in ANCA\u00a0associated Vasculitis compared to the Originator), after receiving funding from the Canadian Initiative for\u00a0Outcomes in Rheumatology cAre (CIORA). BRAVO will follow study participants with AAV treated with rituximab\u00a0biosimilars as part of their routine care (including if they switched from the originator). They will compare\u00a0outcomes (such as disease control, adverse events) to those of participants in Canadian vasculitis cohorts who\u00a0received the originator in the past.<\/p>\n
BRAVO will provide patients and doctors with valuable information on the safety and effectiveness of rituximab\u00a0biosimilars in AAV, helping to improve the care of Canadians with this condition.\u00a0Several sites across Canada are\u00a0participating, and those interested in learning more can contact the centre where they receive care and\/or their\u00a0local CanVasc centre\u00a0(see:\u00a0https:\/\/canvasc.ca<\/a>).<\/p>\n Preliminary results are expected in spring of 2024, stay tuned!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Canadian vasculitis researchers are busy with \u2018BRAVO\u2019, an observational study […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2059,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2059"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1696"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1698,"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696\/revisions\/1698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vasculitis.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}